In the Shadows I like the quiet
by Tjin
Summary: Xander is the quiet one, the one everyone overlooks and the one that works best in the shadows... lets see how that works out.
1. Chapter 1

Xander Harris was not a happy camper, what with being kicked out of the gang, losing his girlfriend, best friend, only real guy friend and the respect of the only person he'd found to be a father figure, all in one easy step because of his Presidential style screw up. And he had been first bullied, then kidnapped by psycho zombie, Jack O'Tool. Then add beaten up, pseudo-raped and kicked out of the room and afterward managed to save the world, only to be captured and tortured by the sisterhood as punishment for his involvement with Buffy.

It had been three days of ongoing agony before the gang had burst in like avenging heroes only for the queen she-bitch to cackle madly and throw open a portal before launching the still struggling Xander through it. The last sight he had of his friends had been of them screaming pointlessly before the portal snapped closed and he found himself falling. He was lucky enough to survive the reasonably long fall, but that was primarily due to the vast ocean that spread out as far as the eye could see. This had caused a problem as the chains and clothes he sported had quickly started to drag him under.

Had the remnants of the swim team been even slightly less, Xander's story would have ended right there as his body went down to feed the ongoing life cycle of the ocean deep. Instead, after a rather frantic thirty seconds of struggling, Xander managed to shed the chains that bound him before kicking off the work boots that were also weighing him down.

Breaching the surface, he took a moment to gasp several deep breaths of air before dropping to his back and simply floating as he calmed his heartbeat and let the situation really sink in. The pain from Xander's multiple cuts and lacerations were screaming in protest as the saltwater burned deeply within him, thankfully though there was little enough bleeding to attract some of the more unpleasant denizens of the deep, so he ignored their protests as there was little he could do to alleviate the pain at that particular moment.

Reaching a more comfortable heart rate, Xander lifted his head from the water and slowly scanned the horizon for anything that could possibly help him in this situation. As he circled for the fifth time, he felt his heart rate start to pick up again at the distinct lack of anything along the skyline surrounding him, but refusing to panic, Xander forced his heart rate down one more time. Struggling in the water, he managed to sacrifice his pants to construct a crude life vest before pulling his button up shirt off and laying it over his head to resist the force of the sunlight beating down on him as he drifted.

Nine hours later, Xander fought off the intoxicating call of sleep as he drifted to look around once more, he had been scanning the skyline every ten to fifteen minutes in a desperate attempt to find something before going back to just surviving. Once again he was disappointed as he scanned the entire thing and once again found nothing in the endless waters.

"Are you lost, little land walker?"

Xander's startled screech was cut off as his thrashing slipped him out of the vest he had manufactured and sunk him once more beneath the water. Coming up in a spluttering mess, he shook his head clear before looking around once more and finally giving his full attention to the massive head of the beast only a couple yards away as it floated on the water. Blinking, he made sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him before gulping down the urge to scream in terror and flee across the ocean. Xander tried to smile at the massive sea serpent in front of him and said, "Say wha?"

Chuckling in a long low rumbling manner that did little to halt the rampant panic Xander felt coursing through his system, the Serpent started to slowly circle the small human that had shown up in the middle of his territory. "I asked if you were lost little one. You see, you are in my waters, and I would like to know how and why you are here. So let's play a little game, you explain how you arrived here in ten words or less and I might let you live. While I would expend more energy chewing you than you are worth, I can assure you that I am willing to make that sacrifice to protect my territory from trespassers," The massive serpent explained as his voice dropped to a considerably more sinister level towards the end of the conversation.

"Zombie, Bomb, Demons, Captured, Torture, Rescue, Portal, Ocean, Dragon, AAAH!" Xander said in a rush as he mentally counted to assure himself of accuracy in covering the important parts of the story.

Chuckling in a slightly higher pitch of amusement, the Serpent finished its first orbit of the young human's position and started on a second, closer circuit around as he repeated the man's response and tried to decipher the meaning. While he wasn't as obsessed with riddles as some of the other dragon species, he did always enjoy a bit of a puzzle at times.

"Hmmm, let's see, 'zombie.' You aren't one so I can only assume you were facing off against one. Unless of course you are a Necromancer which would explain the lingering scent of death and chaos, but you still possess a sense of humor, so I can only assume that you were facing a Zombie of some sort."

The serpent smiled at Xander's pensive nod.

"'Bomb' would most likely be either what you were using or what you were facing off with the zombie against. You obviously are not a Gnome, so I can only assume that the zombie was some sort of guard for the bomb. That would be a useful trick that I might have to pass on as a distraction, disarm the bomb or have your flesh eaten," the dragon mused before pushing on.

"'Demons' seems a bit more complex. While I could see them using a bomb, I could not see them using a zombie when they have so many other resources at hand for their personal use so they were probably just in the area. Perhaps they heard the confrontation with you and the zombie and that is what attracted them to you."

That almost sounded like a question, but the tone was wrong for that so Xander took no chances and kept his mouth shut.

With a small huff of amusement at the human's silence, the Serpent continued to muse aloud, not noticing the wave his breath caused that nearly sunk the boy.

"'Captured' is a bit easier, as is torture. The wounds you sport are a telling testament to the demons' skill at the infliction of pain. 'Rescue' probably meant that either your friends or a wandering group of heroes discovered you and attempted to save you from your fate. The demons are very well versed in the abilities of portals so either they opened it up to stop you or your heroes opened one up to let you escape and botched the entire thing… That is more common than you would think, that. Finally, I can assume the 'ocean, dragon, Aah!' part has to do with where you ended up, my arrival and your reaction," he reasoned before chuckling again. "For the record, little one, I am a Drake. A Sea Drake to be specific and my name is Moem'noun'lous'ser, but you may call me Mum as many humans do."

After a bit of haggling with the newly introduced Sea Drake, Xander managed to get a ride to the nearest land or boat passing through the Sea Drake's territory on his word that he would pay double the next time he passed through.

And that found him here, dragging himself up the sloping beach of a small coastal town with no pants, no shirt no shoes and a rather interesting set of smiley faced boxer shorts that were most likely going to get him arrested.

Fortunately it was dark enough that nobody was around allowing Xander to step into the darkened alleys between the buildings without witnesses. Slipping through the dark alleyways and darting past the better lit areas, Xander searched desperately for something to clothe himself with before turning a corner and freezing in shock. Standing there with a smile was one of the locals, dressed in sheer clothing that accentuated her figure while doing little to fight off the chill ocean air. Xander could well guess what her profession was, but prudently kept his mouth shut.

"Usually my customers wait until they pay me before we reach this point," the woman said with a smirk as she looked Xander over like a piece of meat. "Well, while I appreciate the initiative I must say I don't see a coin purse anywhere and there are limited areas to conceal it. Should I search?" she teased and laughed at the rather obvious blush from the young man.

Shifting to hide at least one of the reactions he had to the woman's clothes and words, Xander cleared his throat before he tried to respond. "I-I'm not looking for anything, well I am, bu-. Clothes, I need some clothes! I lost mine in the ocean and I don't want to get arrested."

Laughing again, the prostitute decided to take pity on the young man "Well, I just so happen to be skilled at removing clothes, and while most of my clients take their belongings with them before they leave, a couple of young sailors the other day were under the mistaken impression that my husband had come home early and left in a bit of a rush. Sad that, turns out it was just a neighbor needing a bit of salt." She said as she turned back towards her house to assist.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Xander felt some of the tension drift away at the thought of once again being clothed. "I'll be in your debt" Xander said and felt some of his dread return as the woman turned to face him again.

"Oh, really? Well I do know one way you can _repay_ me," she announced before smirking as his blush returned. "Mind out of the gutter, young man. There is job, just a little one I need you to do for me and we can call this even."

Stuttering slightly at the allegation, Xander forced himself back to the subject at hand. "And what would that be exactly? I hate to say this, but I don't even know your name yet and I'm a bit cautious about agreeing to things without hearing them about them first."

"And that is the mark of a wise man. My name is Saeunn and I have a problem with a rather brutish half-Orc named Hroald, who is quiet insane. He recently killed the Watch Commander and declared himself god king of our little island, ruining what little economy we have in a vain attempt to build an army to take more lands for his banner," Saeunn explained as she opened a door in one of the buildings and stepped inside.

Following her, Xander was happy that his night vision was still solid as it allowed him to view his savior's room with an experienced eye. The primary room was filled with a massive bed covered in silks and satins that was obviously meant more for intimate pleasure than actual sleep and several sections around the room dedicated to items meant to enhance her customers' entertainment.

"The majority of the villagers young enough to face Hroald are sailors and won't be back for six more months. Until that time, he is making life very difficult for those that are still here." Saeunn said as she searched through a chest and tossed a few pieces of apparel at him before closing the chest and sitting on it, "So will you help me run him off? I don't need him dead or anything of the sort, just roughed up a bit until he gets it through his skull that we aren't his servants."

Slipping the clothes on, Xander felt a hundred times better than he had a minute earlier, "Well while I thank you for the help I'm not an assassin or even a mercenary of any sort," Xander said and groaned at the lost and abandoned look Saeunn took as his refusal before he caved. "But I can at least look in on the situation and see what I can do to help," Xander said as he cursed his white knight complex.

Saeunn's mood did a complete one eighty and the smiling woman was hugging him happily as she explained where he could find the thug that was making life difficult.

Taking his leave, Xander moved through the small town and tried to think up a plan that would keep him from having to fight a crazy half-Orc, of course Xander was feeling a bit strange at the thought that he was possibly about to face an actual ORC in combat, but after the Sea Drake he was willing to be open-minded about the whole situation.

Moving up to one of the few building still alight, he looked up at the hanging shingle and smiled at finding the place. The 'Serfs Hut' was a rundown and beaten up old building with few windows and a door that looked to be easily replaced in the event of a rowdy night.

Slipping inside, Xander took care to limit the amount of attention he drew and smiled as nary a head turned in his direction. Moving around the side of the room he carefully took in all the occupants and made a mental note of Hroald as the big man sat on a patchwork throne and rambled loudly to the gathered townsfolk and slamming a rather hefty club onto the ground when he wanted to make a point. After several rather intense minutes of listening, Xander came to the rather obvious conclusion that the ugly man was three months past his sell by date.

Mingling in the crowd, Xander spoke only in whispers and listened in to the random gossip of the townspeople as he got a picture of what the Half-Orc was up to and quickly came to the conclusion that he couldn't let what he was hearing continue. The would-be god overworked the elders and half starved the youngsters in a bid to build 'warships' that, according to the sailing men of the village, would have a hard time crossing a damp section of dirt.

The worst though was Hroald's plan to 'build' his army through forced pregnancy that had the situation nearly spiral out of control before Xander was ready to move. While he had no doubt the old men and women of the town would manage to bring the half-Orc down eventually he was worried about the numbers the madman would take out first.

Slipping a dagger off the table, Xander froze as the innkeeper's eyes locked onto his before Xander threw a glance towards the half-Orc and raised an eyebrow. At the old man's nod Xander slipped the blade into his belt and made his way outside.

Hiding in the shadows of the building, Xander waited as the 'War Council' broke up and the exhausted townspeople wearily made their way back towards their homes. After a few more minutes of yelling, probably at the innkeeper, Hroald made his way outside and stood outlined in the dim lights of the doorway before he slowly made his way down the street. As he passed the alley Xander had concealed himself in, the Sunnydale teen struck. Moving out of the alley, he gripped the half-Orc around the neck and stabbed the considerably larger being in the back much as he would a vampire back home. The brief gasp of pain from his opponent as he struggled against Xander's grip was all he managed before he passed on to the afterlife.

Pulling the blade out, Xander let the larger guy slide to the ground and whispered a slight prayer to whoever was listening that he had done the right thing. Rifling through the body's belongings, Xander pocketed what few coins he found and two small vials of liquid before cleaning the blade on the dead man's clothes and slipping back into the darkness. Several minutes later, he heard the shout of surprise and joy as one of the townspeople discovered the death of their tormentor.

As they celebrated, Xander hid in a stable and fought down the urge to vomit as he thought about his first kill.

*Scene Break*

(A/N) Xander is the equivalent of a Lvl 2 Rogue, after all the sneaking, sneak attacks, bluffing, Intimidation, diplomacy and what not, I figured he was either a Rogue or a Bard and I've never been very good at playing bards.

This is an actual character being played right now, the actions are what I believe he would do and the rolls are actual chance.

I actually expected Xander to fight a bit more against Hroald but the sneak attack rolled a critical and Hroald missed his Fortitude Check.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up with a start, Xander palmed the dagger as a soft rustle of noise below brought him awake in a rush. After a moment of confusion as to where he was, the past couple of days came back to him in full and painful detail. Rolling over slightly, he looked over the edge of the barn loft, down below a rather old man was whistling to himself as he went about what Xander could only assume was the everyday business of dealing with animals; feeding, watering, and what he supposed was the milking process.

Shifting in the hayloft, Xander froze as the man below stopped whistling and cocked his head to the side, in a listening pose. Spotting the slightly pointed ears, Xander cursed silently because despite what TV had shown, loose hay was only slightly less noisy than dry leaves when moving about and that was the situation he found himself in now. Checking to the left, Xander gauged the distance to the hay door before glancing back down at the man below, the man that was currently heading for the ladder leading up to his perch.

Shoving himself to his feet, Xander took a running leap from the barn loft, out the hay window to the muddy ground below. Flexing his knees to absorb the impact, Xander tumbled to the left into an alley before dodging through the back side of the fishing village and finding a dark shadow to disappear into.

Catching his breath underneath the porch facing the ocean, Xander considered his options; he had to lay low for a time, at least a couple of days for suspicions to die down before the mysterious stranger makes an appearance, local yokels they may be, but even the village idiot would be able to come up with one plus one equals potato.

Glancing out into the predawn light, Xander noticed the large number of boats putting out from the docks. Small fishing boats mostly as the natives set out to ply their trade. Making a decision, he turned inland, scuttling through the sleepy village as it started to wake and fleeing out into the wilderness beyond.

By noon Xander was sitting on the beach on the far side of the island, secluded in a small cove surrounded by rocks that would keep prying eyes away. Chucking small stones into the surf and wondering where he was and when/if at all he would make it back home, because despite all the games and movies he used to watch, none of them had explained how exactly he was supposed to relieve himself in the woods much less tidy himself up afterwards. The first part he had managed without too much fumbling, the second had required him to sacrifice a part of the wrappings from his purloined shoes to resolve the issue and regain some semblance of cleanliness.

Chucking another rock into the surf, Xander thought about all that had happened recently before adding a bit more force into his throws, the fluke, fray adjacent, Faith, the Sisterhood, Zombie Jack, the bomb, the Sisterhood, the torture, the portal, the dragon/drake thing, his first murder…

Each thought was assisted by another stone disappearing into the surf as his mind wandered more and more afield. Pulling his arm back once more Xander froze for a second as movement in the water drew his attention to a monster slowly pulling itself out of the water. For a moment Xander's mind drifted back to his thrice cursed time on the swim team as a fish person slowly stood up, a wicked looking blade held in one hand while a rather ratty shield was held in the creature's offhand.

Checking the area around for a possible escape route, Xander cursed his desire for privacy as the fish monster was closer to the cove entrance then he himself was, blocking off that route of escape and leaving him limited options in the category of fight or flight.

Blinking as the fish monster charged him, Xander acted on instinct, his hand flashing out in a throw sending his last stone flying towards the monsters head. Xander was surprised when the stone struck the charging foe under its left arm, cutting a deep gash in the monster's flesh and causing it to hiss in pain. Not slowing down at all as it closed, Xander saw nothing but an animalistic rage in the fish being's eyes. A rage that Xander was all to familiar with, thanks to his nightly adventures on the hellmouth.

Pulling his dagger from his belt, Xander charged to meet his foe, swinging in with a straight strike towards the smaller monster, Xander was surprised when the fish thing ducked under his attack. The next moment Xander found himself painfully on his back from flipping over the foe's shoulder. Rolling to his right, Xander avoided the next strike before climbing to his feet again. Squaring off with the fish person, Xander stepped into the its range and attacked again, his small blade being deflected by the coral buckler the being had on before Xander was put on the defensive from the fishman's sword.

Dancing back from his opponent's blade, Xander felt a deep bite in his side where the sword met his flesh and skittered painfully off his ribs. Ignoring the pain and taking advantage of his opponent's off balance state, Xander moved back in with his stolen blade held firmly in hand and swiped at the fishman's neck. He cursed as it dropped low again, the metal tool flashing over its head. Rolling away from the follow up attack, Xander danced back on the beach as he cleared some distance between himself and his Admiral Ackbar reject of an attacker. For a moment the immortal words, 'It's a Trap!' echoed through his mind Before Xander shook the thought off, his opponent wouldn't get it and there was nobody around to find humor in it.

Flipping the blade around to an underhanded grip, Xander smiled as his fighting style started to fall back to his long memory of holding a stake in much the same manner. Setting himself for the fish being's next attack, Xander smiled when it charged. Jumping over the sword blade, Xander landed quickly and lunged, shifting his body to the side he blocked the sword arm with his left hand before driving the knife blade down into the heart of his opponent. Glaring into the monster's eyes, Xander saw the rage fade away for a moment as the fish person's body came to the realization that it was no longer capable of continuing the conflict.

As the light faded, Xander frowned as the hatred remained in the eyes of his opponent before they lost focus completely and it slumped to the ground lifelessly. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Xander collapsed next to his foe and after a short time his needs overcame his natural squeamishness and like the night before, Xander rolled his opponent. Taking the pouch from the fish man's belt, Xander was surprised at the small collection of shiny gems and coral within, tucking the haul into his own cloth belt. He then picked up the sword and buckler, seeing the cutlass was old but had surprisingly enough held up well in the saltwater. The buckler was another story, however and pulling the small coral disk off the fish thing's arm, Xander frowned.

While he had at first thought it a shield that had spent enough time under the waves to be covered by coral, Xander was surprised to find that the disk itself was made from coral with seaweed wrapped around several of the branches to strap it to his forearm.

Standing up, Xander brushed his hands off before checking both ways again and heading for the cove exit. While it was disturbing to leave the fish person where he fell, Xander had little desire to handle the cold corpse anymore and he refused to haul its body anywhere to bury it. His time near the coast was enough to tell him that the body would be reclaimed by the surf at the next tide. As for himself, Xander honestly couldn't care less.

*Scene Break*

Staying within sight of the coast, Xander sought a shelter of some sort. Stopping to drink from a stream, Xander pressed on and after nearly an hour of searching and found himself under a rather large tree. The natural hollow the roots made was more than sufficient to protect him from at least the basics of the elements, leaving Xander to resolve the rest of his survival needs, namely food before the sun sank below the horizon. Making his way to the shoreline, Xander scavenged for a time before returning with a rather large collection of mollusks and shellfish that his soldier boy memories suggested would likely be edible.

Dropping them in the hole under the tree, Xander quickly scavenged some windblown wood and several large clumps of dry tender. Setting up a quick windbreak, Xander began to work on the fire. Three hours later a wild eyed Xander grinned manically at the small flame he had managed to create. Quickly working with his gathered supplies, Xander laughed as his campfire was born. Getting the fire to a point where he felt comfortable, Xander moved his small cache of food nearer the flames and watched as the heat did its work.

In a matter of minutes Xander poked the opened shells cautiously with his knife before scooping out the flesh within and swallowing it in a rush. As the seafood disappeared into his gut, Xander found his reaction to be an odd combination of revulsion at the taste and absolute love for the first bit of food he'd had in days.

Finishing up, Xander patted his somewhat full belly before loading the fire up with wood to deter any of the wilds that might take an interest before curling up under the tree and drifting off to sleep.

*Scene Break*

Asleep, Xander blinked at the argument going on around him. Three individuals were busy squabbling amongst themselves with random punctuations in his direction. Taking a moment to observe the trio, Xander blinked again. The first was an elderly man in travel worn clothes, the thick black boots on his feet were well worn and looked to be the epitome of the description of 'Seven League Boots'. Next to him stood a much taller man in what he first thought to be cloth but on closer inspection was chainmail. Nothing like the clunky stuff he had seen at the festivals or in the movies, this armor was some of the highest quality Xander had ever seen. The man's dark hair and skin were enough to offset the massive gleaming battle-axe the man held in one hand while a sword sat at his waist waiting to be used. The third man stood to the side with a massive bronze mace in his hand that he tapped impatiently in his offhand each time one of the arguments seemed to get too involved. That tapping seemed to be the signal and the other two would almost immediately reign in their zeal for a time before starting all over again.

After a time the trio finally took notice of him and with a wave, Xander felt a pulse of energy and he found himself waking up in his hidey hole once more. Sitting up, he rubbed the back of his head for a moment as he tried to puzzle out what that had been about before restocking the fire and curling back up to sleep.

In a higher plain Fharlanghn, Heironeous and Saint Cuthbert continued to argue about who the young man best exemplified. Admittedly his recent adventuress did adhere him somewhat to Fharlanghn's domain, but the other two refused to give up the battle without a fight. Around them, dozens of deities watched the new arrival with some interest as Fate struggled to unravel the rather nasty snarl his arrival had worked into her weave, some even whispered that Ao had actually blinked at the young man's arrival, but that sort of talk was pushed aside as pure insanity.

Ao never noticed or got involved.

*Scene Break*

Waking up the next morning, Xander shuddered in the morning breeze from the ocean before stirring the coals in the fire and restarting the sparse flame. Getting it back to a point where he might actually survive, Xander set about his day, first was food, water and then more shelter. While the hollow worked… somewhat, to keep the wind and chill off, he doubted it would protect him from rain or offer any sort of protection from an attack.

Moving back towards the stream he had drunk from the day before, Xander knelt by the water and cupped some to his face as he scanned the area for threats or opportunities.

Having slaked his thirst, Xander returned to his camp and froze as he crested the hill. Below him three people were standing around his fire as they spoke. Adjusting his grip, Xander wondered if he was going to have to fight these people too. He was tired of fighting everything he came across and yes, he was lonely.

Walking towards them, Xander saw them turn to face him directly as an assortment of weapons also came to bear on him. Taking a deep breath, he slowed to a stop a short distance from the trio. Two were considerably smaller and he would have actually thought them children had one not sported a rather well groomed mustache while the female of the two had hair that reached down below her waist. At just over half his height, Xander watched their weapons carefully and decided that, small or not, these two were not to be taken lightly. The third member stood in the forefront, a heavy metal breastplate protecting him from damage as a long sword was held in the man's hand.

Nodding to the trio, Xander held his new cutlass by his side as he watched them shift nervously before smiling and saying, "Well, since you haven't tried to stick me with anything pointy yet I'm going to hope for the assumption that we will continue that trend."

That at least managed to pull a smile from the small female as the two males just frowned slightly before looking seriously at his blade. Glancing down at it himself, Xander looked at the trio for a moment, "Yeah, you really think I'm putting up my blade with three armed unknowns in my camp?" Xander questioned before the two smaller beings grinned disturbingly.

"Five actually," the small female said before nodding behind the young man from Sunnydale. Turning slightly, Xander froze as two black bears stood behind him, menacingly.

Blinking at the two animals, Xander tried to rationalize their appearance before his mind finally gave up and just accepted it.

Dropping his cutlass to the ground Xander stepped sideways, away from the blade and his 'visitors' as well.

*Scene Break*

Sitting before the campfire, Xander snorted slightly as he tore through another ration of hardtack and salted beef, a combination that he was sure would go down in history as the worst meal he ever loved. So good in fact that Xander barely had time to respond to the question the small party threw his way during the meal.

It turned out they were actually pretty good people. The Big guy was a Paladin of all things, servant of some 'Torm' guy or another and was called Isaaq. He had held up a small item in front of Xander after the small altercation earlier and then nodded at his companions. That had seemed to be a good thing as the party had returned his sword to him and then offered him food, something Xander was very happy about.

The two smaller ones were a brother and sister, a duo of Halflings. Had Xander not been as hungry as he was that would have likely thrown him for a loop, but like the Sea Drake two days before, it was something he filed away in his mind and rolled with the situation. Wakueena Rattlefoot and her Brother Mican were a druid and ranger respectively. The two hairy omnivores were their companions.

Nodding at the introduction, Xander had thrown his own name out there and stumbled through a rough draft of his past while depleting the food stock of the small group considerably in an urge to satiate his hunger.

Looking at the human as he finished his story, the trio looked between each other for a moment before nodding. They would help Xander find his way home if possible, and if not, they would at the very least help him find a new home here.

*Scene Break*

(A/N) So here we have Xander meeting up with the party, 'Yay' next stop… Adventure…

And for the record, that Sahuagin nearly killed me… how embarrassing would that have been…


	3. Chapter 3

I Like the Quiet

Wiping his mouth with the back of his arm, Xander stared at the small group that was offering to help him get back home. For a moment he wondered if this was some sort of scam before shaking that thought off, they literally had him over a barrel and had simply returned his weapons to him.

Fiddling with the cutlass for a few minutes, Xander considered his options. First, he could go it alone. An option less than optimal as the sea drake would attest. He had trouble with the fricken' fish man and the thought of battling some of the bigger, badder and nastier creatures that were about made him shudder. Xander filed that option under "Hell No!" and moved on.

The second option revolved around mostly sitting on his fat ass while hoping the gang managed to find him. This one was complicated by the fact that he had moved from where he started, first in falling into and then drifting in the ocean.

In all, the odds of that being a successful option were less than encouraging

The third and final option was to simply go with these "people". They had explained a bit about the "adventures" in this world and it sounded like his odds of finding some method of getting himself home went up exponentially the more he dug into the older civilizations that had grown up and fallen in the centuries since the more recent recorded history began.

And that was something else entirely. It seemed like this world had an almost endless supply of fallen civilizations dating back anywhere from hundreds to millions of years and probably even further.

Making a decision, Xander nodded. "Alright I'm in, what do you say to twenty percent of the cut on anything we pull out and first dibs on any travel magics that might get me home?"

After some whispering among themselves Wakueena finally came back with a counter offer, "Fair split on all goods and gold, but first choice of rejection to all travel magics."

Considering his options Xander finally nodded, "Deal," he announced before reaching across the fire pit and shaking the Halfling's hand. For a moment he felt a bit odd making a deal with what seemed like a six-year-old before shaking the thought off. "All right, so we're a team. What are we supposed to do now?" Xander asked and looked at the three confused expressions he received at that comment. "Well how do you usually find your work? We used to have it come to us and we just had to figure out how to kill it, but I figure that isn't going to work here."

Laughing at that, the small group shook their heads at the newest member before Wakueena decided to explain. "Mostly we listen to the travelers and merchants and find out what is happening around us then we head to the problem spots. After a bit of adventuring, the locals start to come to us with their problem issues and we get more information that way." The self appointed spokesperson said happily as she explained their procedures to the newest member of their party. "When the problems become too small for us to deal with, we move on and a new party settles into our place."

Nodding at that, Xander decided not to argue about the effectiveness of the system. In all, it seemed to work at least as effectively as the Scoobies' own system back in Sunnydale. "Alright then, what's the plan."

"Well, we had reports of a possible warlord holding the local village hostage," Wakueena said with a smile. At Xander's embarrassed look, she continued, "But I figure from your story earlier that particular issue has been settled." She laughed. "So the next situation would be the rumors of possible pirate activity a few islands over."

Nodding, Xander wondered at the weirdness of his life that he was hunting pirates with a couple of Halflings. That he was a dimensionally misplaced vampire hunter from the west coast never really hit him as all that odd. "All right then, how do we get over there?"

Scene Break

Holding on to the back of the bear, Xander shuddered as the massive animal finally crawled up on land and dumped him off with a powerful shake that sent water, gear, seaweed, Halflings and himself flying every which way. The shouts and clatter of plate mail from the other beast indicated that Isaaq and Mican had met much the same fate as himself and Wakueena had.

Sitting up in the sand, Xander glared at the bear as it rolled about in the grass bordering the sand dunes and made a mental note to do something horrible to the animals. "Next time, we travel in a boat," Xander growled before receiving a blessing from Isaaq. From what he'd heard, the paladin had been fighting to get a real means of transportation for a while, but had been shot down by the two Halflings up to this point.

Checking his rather sparse gear, Xander waited as the others did the same. In between mouthfuls of seawater, Isaaq had explained that a small ship, most like a Pinnace, had been raiding boats and small settlements in the area. The merchants that had spoken about it had worried about a possible Pirate band in the making.

The reports had been of fifteen or so 'thugs' being led by an orc or half-orc. While none of the raids had been especially successful due to the limited size of the crew, it had been troublesome and they had been getting better at striking fast and disappearing as soon as they had filled their sacks with whatever loot they could lay hands on.

In the most recent attack, the ship had faded away into a mist that covered all pursuit, a troublesome development to be sure.

Laying on the beach, Xander ran the plan through his mind once more. The small party was tasked with searching this island for the pirates' base and then to use a small stone they had been gifted by Isaaq's sect to summon several more 'holy warriors' to cleanse the ship and base of all pirates. With Xander and his party focusing on the ship itself, the church the paladin served had offered either the ship or all gold and loot in the base as payment. The items dropped by their opponents were to automatically be theirs no matter where the item came from.

Having just endured the bear express, Xander was leaning towards taking the ship personally. While the thought of him killing several people in the near future turned his stomach, Xander dropped back to his soldier memories and let his mind settle down. They were opponents. They were enemies. They would kill him if given half a chance.

And it was up to him to make sure they never got that chance.

Scene Break

It was dark by the time they found the pirate camp. To call it a base was overstating things considerably. The Pinnace and a smaller boat were nearby, most likely used by the pirates to sell their ill-gotten goods or to scout out potential targets.

On the land, half a dozen tents were staked out with a fire spluttering away happily as the crew moved about finishing up their daily chores before sleep. While not the rambunctious lot he had half expected due to Disney, the men below were definitely moving in a professional manner.

Shifting back to a safer distance, Xander and the party huddled up to discuss the plans. Mican wanted to take the entire group on by themselves, believing the small party more than capable of dealing with the pirates and saving the church support for an emergency, thus reaping the rewards of the whole thing themselves.

Isaaq wanted to summon the help immediately, fearing that pirates may escape if given a chance and live to harm others again later. Wakueena didn't offer her opinion and so after a tense moment of glaring at each other, the two males turned their attention to Xander. Looking between the two, he cursed silently before making a decision, "Call in the church Isaaq."

Xander turned to the frowning Halfling, "I know you want the loot, but you can't spend it if you're dead. Never turn down help if you don't have to," Xander explained diplomatically.

Soon enough, a half dozen, well-armed and armored men stood with them as they went over the mission. Isaaq and his party would sneak in and take the boat. As soon as the fighting started they were to take the crew and hold the boat from the fleeing pirates. After giving them time to reach the ship, the Tormites would attack the main camp and press them back towards the ocean. If possible, the party was to use the ship's weapons to support this attack, but the paladins and warriors were not overly concerned about it if they were not be able to.

Should the fight go badly for the land party, the crew was to secure the ship and move to support them, catching the pirates in a pincer. Should the fight go badly for the shipboard party, they were to scuttle the ship with fire and acid before escaping over the side and uniting with the Tormites on the shore. Should the fight go badly for both sides then Torm would guide them to the light.

In all it was a simple plan that left plenty of room for flexibility when for when Murphy decided to join and it was competent enough to work.

Taking a last minute to pocket several offered acid flasks, Xander made sure they were well packed to avoid breakage before the party moved out. Sneaking down the shoreline in the darkness, Xander's heart raced as at every step he expected to be discovered and a shout to bring the entire camp down on their heads.

Thankfully, after a short eternity, they made it to the ship where it sat with its gangplank down. The fact there was a rock shelf allowing it to be right up on the shoreline in both high and low tides without resorting to rowboats, so sneaking under the watch's bored gaze, the party made it to the ship.

There was a small, lizard/dog person standing guard at the foot of the plank. Drawing his cutlass, Xander snuck up on the hapless opponent. Striking fast, Xander lifted the being's scaled chin up before taking its head off with a quick strike of the blade.

Catching the twitching corpse before it fell completely, Xander lowered it silently to the ground before motioning for the rest of the party and heading up and onto the ship. Ignoring the groan of wood behind him as the two bears made their way up the gangplank, Xander snuck aboard. Reaching the deck, he scanned the area before making his way aft and the watch there, that being the last person in sight who could raise the alarm.

Just as he reached his target, Xander flinched at a hiss past his ear that heralded the arrival of an arrow in the back of the watch he'd been sneaking up on. With a strangled grunt, the human reached for the shaft protruding from his back before Xander's sword cut him down. Turning as the first sound of fighting from the camp finally pulled his attention away, Xander glared at the small ranger that had nearly hit him. Making a mental to deal with that issue later, he looked around.

Isaaq, standing near the gangplank, would hold off any attempt to take the ship from the shore. Mican was already moving towards the ballista to support the other party. Wakueena, for her part, was currently opening the hatch and giggling as the two bears made their way to the sleeping crew below deck. After chugging a small potion, the Halfling shifted into a brown bear before following the other two down below.

As the roars and cries filtered up, Xander felt a vibration beneath his feet before the cabin door was kicked open and a massive humanoid stomped out, a blade in each hand.

Blinking at the roaring person that had just made an appearance, Xander growled as he remembered the Captain. Specifically, the Captain that everyone thought was in the big tent back in the camp. On shore. The Captain that he had been expecting the paladins and warriors to deal with.

Yeah, that Captain.

Looking around, Xander realized that Mican was caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance and Isaaq was struggling with a trio of pirates trying desperately to get aboard.

Taking a deep breath, Xander leaped off the upper deck, landing behind the massive half human and attacking for all he was worth. Slashing with the cutlass, Xander was pleased as the blade opened up a nasty gash in the big man's back. He was less pleased when the captain turned and batted him aside, almost effortlessly.

Groaning as he held his ribs, Xander looked up at the much larger man. The guy hit about as hard as a vampire and seemed to be twice as ugly. Standing, Xander blocked the big man's attack with his sword before shuddering as the orc's blade shattered his leaving him with a much shorter section of blade. Ignoring his other weapons, Xander opted to tackle the big man to the deck, grappling with him for a moment before plunging the section of blade into the big man's heart. Without his experience in Sunnydale slayage there was little doubt that the half-orc would have killed him.

Looking down at his blood covered hands, Xander felt his stomach react again before he dove for the edge and emptied his guts into the sea below. Having purged himself, Xander looked around again to see the battle was over.

Scene Break

It was several days later and Xander was struggling with a line as the 'Sea Bear' put into port, his hands were blistered and raw and he smelled of fish. In the last several days, he had learned more about sailing than he had ever wanted to know. If he should ever make it back home there were about a million authors and producers that would receive a stern smack for even attempting to glamorize the job.

It was a good thing that the two paladins that had decided to join them aboard the Bear until it made port were both sailor born and had shown him the ropes, a turn of phrase that Xander was now all too familiar with and it was all too hard. Thankfully they were making port and the promise of good food, clean clothes and a shower was enough to raise his spirits. Tossing the final bow line to the shore, Xander slowly messaged his hands as he kept watch on how close the ship was. He was glad the shore crew was far more experienced and more than made up for his own amateurish state.

As the ship finally touched and all lines were secured, Xander heaved a sigh of relief. The pinnace was made to fit twenty and while five was just barely enough to crew her, it wasn't enough to do it well. If all went well, they would be able to pick up some crew here as well as some extra training for him so that he wasn't a burden to the ship.

Somehow he had gotten appointed as the interim Captain type, a place he shared with Isaaq as the Rattlefoots had little interest in leading and the paladin had absolutely none in running a ship. Still, he had stuck the paladin with the First Mate position just to keep him from smirking too much and had gotten Wakueena to back him in shifting the recruitment job off on him.

Xander, for his part had been ordered by the small druid to, "Get yourself some equipment before you are killed." A task he had no clue how to go about doing.

Stepping off the boat, Xander ignored the heave and flow of traffic as it came and went aboard the ship. Mican and Wakueena had volunteered to stay aboard and keep an eye on things. It seemed city life wasn't exactly their speed and most towns frowned on their pets walking down the street with them.

As Isaaq disappeared to find a crew, Xander began wandering through the area. After a bit of subtle people watching, he managed to spot a shop where the clientele wasn't likely to get ripped off, but also not seedy enough to get robbed outright upon entering and dumped into a back alley or the ocean for quick disposal.

Stepping into the shop, Xander was surprised at the assortment of stuff that it carried; from ropes and tackle to clothes and weapons, all well-made and most definitely designed for a sea voyage.

"Well lad, it looks like you found the Wave Front General Store. What can I do for ya today," a loud, gruff voice said from the back as a massive eight foot tall minotaur walked towards the front. To say he cut an odd figure was an understatement. The bulging muscles and massive horned head were offset by light grey clothes, a pale blue waist coat vest and pants. He had a pipe in the massive mouth which he gently smoked and a gold pocket watch chain hung from a vest pocket.

In all, the 'respectable monster' look was something new to him altogether.

So, staring for a moment, Xander finally shook his head. "Sorry, I am in need of some clothes, weapons and… well…" taking a deep breath, he sighed. "Look, I just got pressed into service as a Captain, of all things and I don't know anything about any of it. How to dress, how to talk, what to order…"

Taking the pipe from his mouth, the big Minotaur stared at him for a moment before smiling, "Now that sounds like a story and a half. Let me guess, nobody else wanted the job and you got 'volunteered' for the position right?" He rumbled good naturedly in what could pass for a chuckle before taking another puff on his pipe, "Not all that odd, truth be told. Most adventurers would rather eat their blades before taking responsibility for anything," he explained before he chuckled again. "But to be a Captain you're going to have to look the part. Lightweight clothes to keep you nimble, but with a style to them, that is what people remember most when speaking to a Captain. You have to have a style. Be brash, outright mean, cold, or a drunkard. Whatever it be, you must have a style to fit as Captain,"

In short order Xander found himself dressed to the nines in silk and cotton; pants, shirts, coats and hats were bought with an explanation on how to wear them and in what combinations. His cutlass had been replaced by a much better version of the blade and several assorted odds and ends tucked into his pack to assist him on the seas. The oddest and most expensive of these was a spoon and bottle combo that the minotaur had insisted he buy before setting out. For a moment he had considered refusing, but the honest look in the massive face had won him over and Xander had spent the remainder of his money on the item.

Lost in thought on his way back to the ship, Xander never noticed the subtle shift in the crowd's response to him. Whereas the first time through it he had been jostled and shoved, the crowd now took an unconscious step away from him as he walked down the street.

This was a port town after all, and everyone knew a Captain when they saw one.

Scene Break

(A/N) I really really REALLY Hate being appointed Captain, but the others absolutely refused the position, so Xander now has some Profession (Sailor) and weapons finesse and the party agreed on the leadership feat to go along with his new level… yay… before you know it he will be buckling swashes and whatnot…

You also get to see the first two magic items of the game, an everful spoon and a Decanter of Endless Water, both of which are invaluable to a ship at sea.


	4. Chapter 4

Standing in front of the gathered men and women, Xander took a moment to beat down the terror of public speaking that still haunted him before focusing. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Sea Bear," Xander said as he slipped into the persona his onetime Halloween possession had known during basic training.

"My name is Captain Alexander Harris. Behind me is my command crew. I am going to assume you all have met with my first officer Isaaq," Xander said indicating the Paladin before turning back to the siblings, "To my left are acting Quartermaster and Second officer Wakueena Rattlefoot and her brother Mican Rattlefoot, who is acting Boatswain and third officer." He then turned to the assembled crew before pointing out the remainder of the party and naming them. "Behind them are Wild Oats and Feast of the River"

Xander motioned to the two final members of the adventuring party, "The bears are members in good standing with this ship and will not be harassed for any reason. If you have an issue, I recommend you take it up with them directly. That being said, they are bears and will have no problem ripping your arms and/or face off if angered. As the only healers onboard consider them to be friends I would recommend you avoid that situation."

Thankfully, Isaaq had gotten a sailing master, master gunner, and carpenter to sign on for a voyage of two seasons for very little money down. With them on hand, Xander would be required to do almost no actual sailing at all, reserving the time to acquaint himself with the world he found himself in.

As it turned out, the vast majority of the time the Captain had little to do with the running of the ship. The position being more of an administrator than a leader outside of combat, a situation that suited Xander just fine, truth be told.

Finishing up the introductions, Xander moved on to what they were expected to do. "Now, the Church of Torm has given us a letter of Marque and asked us to find a con-man moving between the islands and acting as a cleric of the church, taking money and tithe under false pretense," Xander explained before shrugging. "While the Church is usually willing to wait for guys like that to get what they deserve in the afterlife, this particular individual has also stolen a Holy Relic of the Companions of the Noble Heart," Xander explained.

He then continued, "This has the capacity to explode into a full religious Inquisition that could start a holy war in the islands. The Church of Torm wants to keep that from happening, unfortunately they don't have the numbers in the islands to get this done on their own without starting a crusade. That said, they have decided to hire us," Xander explained before locking eyes with the crowd

"If anyone has an issue with this they are welcome to retire from the crew now or at any point we make port. I do not want this to be an issue while we are at sail, so speak now or forever hold your peace."

At the silence he got for that remark, Xander nodded and turned to the Boatswain, giving the order to make ready and take them out. He then motioned the party to join him in the officer's cabin to help him figure out where they needed to start looking for the con man.

Sitting down in one of the many seats bolted to the cabin floor, Xander scrubbed his face with his hands for a moment to rid himself of the remaining fear from public speaking before looking at the three members of the party that had joined him. "Just so you know, I hate you like poison and I hope bad things happen to you," Xander growled as the others simply chuckled.

"Yes, yes, Xander. We are horrible people and deserve everything we have coming to us," Wakueena said with a smile as she dropped into one of the padded seats and set about pulling out the charts and maps they had purchased in town.

"Indeed, I shall begin my penitence at once," Isaaq said formally before stepping across the cabin and straightening the picture on the wall and turning back, "All done."

Snorting at the ongoing banter, Mican simply helped his sister and unrolled a map of several nearby islands, "While amusing, I must ask if anyone has a plan to avert the coming holy war before it spirals out of control?"

Letting his glare drop, Xander turned to the maps for a moment before fumbling around with a series of small colored stones. "Well, I suppose the first thing we should do is figure out where he has been," Xander said as he held out the stones towards the others.

Taking up a stone, Isaaq began to cover what the church had explained to him. "Very well, the earliest reports have him Masquerading as a cleric on pilgrimage to the Lantan coast," he said, placing the first stone down there. "That was around three years ago. After that, he next showed up in Calimshan declaring himself as a spiritual guide to the dark lands. That did little more than anger many and the local church paid for his passage on the first ship out." Placing a second stone there, Isaaq paused for a moment to calm his anger. "In the ensuing chaos of his visit, the entire region nearly succumbed to a religious war. Fifteen of the local clergy were attacked and injured and nearly twenty people died in the riots."

Nodding as he leaned over the map with the others, Xander watched as the history of their prey began to grow. "So this isn't the first time he has destabilized an area. Either he is one of the most unlucky men alive, or…" Xander trailed off.

Wakueena picked up the thought, "Or he is intentionally trying to start a war." She watched the paladin place a half dozen extra stones on the map. "But why? What could he possibly get out of it," she asked in confusion as she tried to work out the answer to this riddle.

"The cause of war is as varied and numerous as the stars in the sky, Wakueena," Mican said seriously as he stared across the table at his sister. "Do not trouble your mind with the Why, when the Where, How, and When are at hand," the Halfling said before looking back at the table and receiving a nod from the Paladin.

"Well said Mican, indeed we do not know why, but we do know that nearly everywhere he goes the stirrings of strife and conflict follow." Isaaq pointed to the next several stones, "In the following years he made his way up to Amn, where he passed himself off as the Chancellor of Rites to the local church. A position that does not exist, I might add. And after interfering in the country's own holy days to Waukeen, quickly fled up to the sword coast with a rather large portion of the Halfling population chasing him, some as far as the Cloud peaks coast. That is where he boarded yet another ship and disappeared. The last three years he has been sighted throughout the Nelanther Islands and the Sword Coast."

As the day moved on, the quartet would argue and debate with each other for hours on end until a consensus was finally reached. Snowdown would be the first port of call in their search for the con-man and thief, Tholannan Tarmikos.


	5. Chapter 5

Standing on board the rolling ship as they made for the bay, Xander shook his head as he realized one undeniable fact, he was addicted to sailing. Ohh not the same as he was addicted to Twinkies or anything, but he could definitely see the draw of living on the water had for many. Now if only he could get over the stench of living on a small ship with the unclean.

Thankfully this world's magic offset many of the more troubling sea going illnesses that would have made the situation truly unpleasant, yet at the same time added many more issues to the already fraught with peril occupation. Perils such as; blood leeches, krakens, dire sharks and scrags, the last of which they had fought a week earlier.

Thinking back on the fight, Xander rubbed his hand across the section of his torso that had been impaled on a corral spear a week earlier and frowned. By all rights he should have been dead, just another lost hero in the long history of dead heroes this world produced.

The Sea troll had clambered aboard out of the blue, slashing a surprised ship hand in half before launching an attack that had the whole crew fighting for their lives.

Climbing out of his cabin, Xander had blinked at the hulking monster before jumping from the upper deck, grabbing a spare sail line and landing on the wet deck with all the grace of a drunk albatross tap dancing. He tumbled across the deck and under the hulking brute's clumsy swing in his direction.

Getting his feet back under him as he drew his cutlass, Xander danced back from the beast's return swing before dropping under its follow up spear strike. Lashing out with his own blade, Xander scowled as his sword skittered off the wet hide and did little more than leave a thin red line down the behemoth's side.

Glancing up, he frowned as he was backhanded away just as Isaaq entered the fray, his massive Zwiehander doing what Xander's cutlass could not. Shaking the stars from his eyes, Xander rejoined the battle at hand, tumbling under the beast to get around it and laying several slashes to the troll's back and side. Making a mental note to stay behind his enemies more often, Xander frowned in consternation as the massive beast refused to do the right thing and simply die, preferring instead to spend its time hacking up the rather unsteady looking Paladin. He saw

Mican and Wakueena stayed at a distance and peppered the monster with ranged attacks.

Finally growing tired of the fight, Xander took a step to the side to try and strike at the troll's neck. The next thing he knew the massive beast had stepped into his personal space just as his blade had come down in a mighty blow.

For a moment, Xander had felt a cold spear of ice in his stomach before glancing down at his hand. He could still imagine the blood and bile that had covered his hand as he grasped the spear shaft that had so rudely entered his flesh as he stared at the shocked eyes of the sea troll, just before the beast's head had rolled from its shoulders.

Xander had gone to his grave pleased that he had managed to at least take the giant monster with him. And then he had woken up. Wakueena smiled down at him as he lay amidst the blood and gore of the battle before she jerked the spear out of his slightly glowing gut. She'd then waded back into the fray as the party and crew worked to dissuade the half dozen fish people on board from taking advantage of the sea troll's attack.

Supposedly he had only been mostly dead at that point and his own personal Miracle Max had saved him.

Making a mental note to buy the short girl something special when they made it to the next town, Xander took a moment to glance back at the horizon and shook his head. The reminiscing had not helped the situation and the storm was closing fast.

Shaking his head again as he looked back towards the sheltered bay they were making for, Xander knew it would be close.

Hours later, Xander sat in his cabin as the party, sans bruins, joined him. Looking up, he focused on Wakueena and her brother "Alright, you said that the weather was clear, how the heck did we end up running from the storm of the century two hours later," he asked as the two drenched halflings wrung their cloaks out before setting them to the side.

"The portents were clear, there should be no storm," Wakueena said irritably as she shook the water out of her hair for a moment before tucking it back into place. "That this damnable weather is here at all bodes ill for us. Either a mage of some power has set his sights on us or some greater power. Either way I want nothing to do with them," She said before taking a seat and grumbling about meddling gods and their disruption of the natural world for their own petty desires.

In all it was a rant that the party had heard several times before over the last three weeks of sailing towards Snowdown. Shaking it off, Xander turned his gaze to Mican who shrugged before taking a seat by his sister. "While I will ignore her ranting about the greater powers, I have to agree with my sister. There is no way this storm is natural. It has the flavor of something more… sinister," he explained as he rubbed the talisman he kept under his shirt before looking back at Isaaq and Xander. "Whatever is causing this wanted us here, and it wants us kept here."

"Well that's not ominous at all," Xander snarked before looking over at their resident holy man and cocked an eyebrow at him in silent questioning as he silently stood by the desk.

"While I am no weather mage, I must agree that certain elements of the storm are unnatural," the large black man said before folding his arms over his chest and obviously thinking on the situation some more. "Though I will disagree on the dark leanings. Many times storms are used by the gods to send us to the location in which we are most needed," he explained as Xander interrupted him with a snort.

"Next time they can just send us a message like everyone else," he grumbled before holding his hands up in surrender at the Paladin's glare at his near blasphemous comment.

"While the storm has led us astray, there has been little damage to speak of and yet we find ourselves in one of the few sheltered harbors in all the Trackless Seas," he explained before shrugging. "I would suggest we take this time to explore the island we find ourselves on and try to ascertain why we have been summoned here."

Glancing at the other two, Xander finally groaned as they nodded in agreement. "Fine, send a landing party to shore to set up a base camp and search for supplies when they can," Xander ordered as he rose and began to gather his gear. "Let Master whats-his-face know that he has the ship until we return and let's get this done," he grumbled before the party broke up and began to prepare for their 'adventure'.

Watching them go, Xander looked down at the crimson silk shirt he was wearing before shaking his head and going to change. No way in hell was he going to be a redshirt on a landing party, thank you very much.

Several hours later, Xander took a moment to think back on that moment with a frown. He decided that if he had known then what he knew now he would have stayed on the damn ship, portents be damned. Stomping through the wet, forested island, Xander snarled out a nearly silent curse as yet another large drop of freezing rain managed to find its way magically through his hat, cloak, jacket and shirt to strike his spine and dribble down his back.

Nothing he had read in the old adventure stories had done anything to explain precisely how uncomfortable it was to adventure in the northern parts of the world during the fall and winter months. In his not so humble opinion, it sucked. It was cold, wet, grey and miserable all around.

Growling as yet another drop of rain managed to surpass his defenses, Xander almost missed the snap of a twig. Glancing in that direction, he blinked as a snarling man jumped from behind one of the trees and charged the party with an axe, ready to cleave them in two. His shock at the sudden attack was short lived though as his time on the hellmouth did plenty to break him of the, 'Freeze when suddenly attacked' habit.

Jumping back from the man's swing, Xander drew his cutlass before diving forward again. Twisting away from the attacker's chop, Xander struck like a snake, drawing a line of blood down the man's chest before blocking the axe with his sword. The two weapons ground against each other for a moment as each man struggled for dominance before Xander flicked his left hand out and felt the reassuring weight of a hidden blade fall into his palm. In a flash, the small blade was buried in his attacker's chest, much as he had done a hundred times before with the vampires of his hometown.

The man's look of shock as he stumbled away from Xander's attack allowed the Sunnydalian a moment to move forward and finish the man off with a strike to the neck, killing him and leaving Xander to turn his attention to everyone else.

The others were finishing up their own opponents, the two bears helping their owners with their fight as Isaaq impaled his opponent with a long spear he had procured from somewhere. Glancing about, he was surprised to see the Isaaq's massive Zwiehander broken next to a rather large form, presumably who he had liberated the new weapon from.

As the last opponent fell, Xander forced down the bile in his throat at the dead men and women around him before focusing on his crew as they searched their attackers for anything of value. Swallowing the sick feeling away, Xander cleared his throat and nudged one of the corpses. "So does anyone know who these guys were," he asked and shrugged at the others confused looks. "You know, just in case this isn't a random attack, but is part of some grand plot to kill us all and sacrifice our souls to some big bad," he explained as the other three looked at each other again before turning their attention once more to their downed opponents.

A quick search finally had Mican chime in after wracking his brain for possible answers as to who had just attacked them. "I think they are, or at least were, crewmembers of the 'Red Feather' under Captain Jules Ala'Sandra." He collected several pieces of random junk before nodding and looking at the crew proudly before his face dropped at the confused look the rest of the party had at the ships name. "The Red Feather?" he pressed. Sighing at the lack of acknowledgement, he explained, "Ten years ago, the Red Feather was a Pirate Ship that sailed the Lanthean sea under the command of Captain Jules Ala'Sandra. Primarily targeting Sword Coast traders, they amassed a considerable fortune before they were chased into a storm by privateers, never to be seen again."

He held up several of the tokens he had taken off the corpses. "Each Crewmen would earn a token after a voyage, allowing them to purchase a greater share of loot after each attack," he explained before glancing at the gathered tokens and frowned at the limited number they had gathered.

His warning was a moment too late though, as a Lightning bolt slammed into Isaaq's back, sending the Paladin to the ground as a manic voice laughed hysterically at the attack.

Turning to the source of the attack, Xander, Mican, and Wakueena were more than a little surprised at the appearance of a rather short goblin brandishing a staff with a red feather tucked into his hair.

"Cower in fear mortals, for you face the might of Captain Jules Ala'Sandra, reborn!"


End file.
